When you work for a non-profit that serves homeless youth, it is necessary to schedule your personal Christmas shopping, just as you schedule all other appointments!

That personal Christmas shopping day in 2018 came on December 19th (cutting it close!) So both the Executive Director and the Chief of Staff took the entire day to shop and go to breakfast, lunch and dinner!

As we pulled into the South Outlet mall parking lot. Stephanie (Chief of Staff) checked her emails and found an urgent plea. “HELP! I am 18 and pregnant and have been on the street for two weeks. I have called every shelter, but no one has called me back! Please, can someone help me?” First step, call the house to make sure there is a bed available, which there was.

The second step was to contact the young woman and find out where she was. Once we were certain of where she was, we made arrangements to meet her and pick her up. Because it would be almost 10 PM before we would make it to where she was, and we needed to do a better job of vetting her before taking her to the house, we made arrangements for one night in a nearby hotel where we know she would be safe until morning. We picked her up in a somewhat sketch area of town, got her some food, then took her to the hotel.

The next morning we picked her up, took her to First Choice Pregnancy Services for a confirmation of pregnancy, fed her and then took her to Living Grace Homes and got her settled into a room. Her timing was great! Just two days before the annual Living Grace Homes Christmas party! Thanks to local Churches and other organizations, for many young ladies over the years, this has been the best Christmas they have experienced.

Chryssa grew up in Las Vegas, raised by her grandmother she was a hardworking young lady, but did not have a very stable family foundation. She often was on her own, even though she was only 18. She moved in with her boyfriend, hoping this would provide stability, however when she became pregnant, he told her she needed to have an abortion or get out. She took all her things in a duffle bag and left. She then spent two weeks looking for a safe place, but sleeping with her duffle bag out in the open. She had a small amount of money and was able to buy food, but her money had run out.

After Chryssa’s time at Living Grace Homes she had many more ups and downs, but today she is stable, working and living with her mother in Las Vegas.

Your end of year donation will allow Living Grace Homes to continue to provide a safety net, a safe haven for pregnant young moms who may find themselves on the streets at Christmas time!